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The Pakistan government in one of its latest decrees has approved an amnesty scheme instructing the people who possess two passports and two computerized national identity cards (CNICs) to surrender one passport and CNIC to avoid legal action.
In the last cabinet meeting in Pakistan, a summary was sent by the Pakistan Interior Ministry to the federal government which approved the amnesty scheme, reported The News International. The scheme would be valid until December 31st this year. According to a spokesperson of the Pakistan Interior Ministry, people who failed to submit their illegal identity cards and travel documents would be liable for legal action. He stated that the amnesty scheme would prove beneficial for both Pakistanis residing in the country and those living overseas. He further directed to spread the word of the amnesty scheme properly. As per Section 6 (1) (j) of the Passports Act, "A person shall be punishable with imprisonment which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both, if they obtain more than one passport either in the same or different names by concealing the fact of already being in possession of a passport." Earlier, from the year 2006 to 2016, the federal government of Pakistan had introduced six initiatives that resulted in the cancellation of nearly 12,000 passports in Pakistan, reported The News International. The statistics of the Pakistan Interior Ministry indicate that the new amnesty scheme would cancel more than 38,000 passports of Pakistani people. (ANI)
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